JP6012907B2 - Equipment for surface treatment or surface processing - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention uses, for example, a laser for cutting or engraving or an actuator such as a nozzle for applying oil, paint, adhesive, ink, etching agent, release agent, etc. It relates to a device for processing or acting on it. The present invention relates to an apparatus suitable for acting on a workpiece having a relatively large surface area, for example on a strip material, in particular for the size of the actuator.

  From the prior art, a plurality of systems are known that can accurately adjust the operating area of the actuator in the x, y, and z directions with respect to the workpiece surface. In order to adjust the actuator in the x and y directions, for example, a cross beam connected to a length measuring device is used. Such a system is hereinafter referred to as a linear drive unit.

  Depending on the surface treatment process or depending on the effect on the surface by processing, different accuracy is required when positioning the actuator.

  Different structures are known for positioning the actuator with respect to the workpiece surface. In particular, it is known from the prior art to position and guide an actuator on the surface of a workpiece with a plurality of sensors that measure length and spacing, with the accuracy required in the art and to process it. . In this case, a plurality of predetermined conditions such as positioning accuracy, controllability, actuator weight, structure volume, etc. must be met, or the manufacturing cost of the structure used to position the actuator is possible. The conditions such as reducing as much as possible must also be satisfied.

  The basic requirement is that the machining process performed by the actuator is not affected, i.e. not disturbed, by the positioning system. If it is desired to monitor the distance of the actuator relative to the workpiece surface, this can be done by a tactilely acting measuring system with a wheel rolling on the workpiece surface at the front end. However, mechanical sampling is possible only for relatively hard surfaces. For surfaces that are sensitive to contact, distance sensors that sample the surface of the workpiece in a non-contact manner, such as capacitive and inductive distance sensors or pneumatically operated dynamic pressure nozzles, are used. However, these sensors can interfere with or be disrupted by the machining process. For example, gas delivered from a dynamic pressure nozzle, often compressed air, can form a vortex in the vicinity of the ink spray nozzle. Such interferences can also occur when applying etchants, paints or low viscosity adhesives. Also during the protective gas welding, the air flow of the dynamic pressure nozzle can cause a vortex in the protective gas.

  In addition, it should be noted that solid, liquid or gaseous substances emitted by the actuator, or substances generated when processing the workpiece surface, can affect the measurement accuracy of the distance sensor described above. Don't be. For example, when the processing liquid reaches the area of the measurement electrode, an error occurs in the interval measurement signal.

  These problems can be eliminated if the measurement system that measures the distance between the actuator and the workpiece surface is spatially separated from the actuator. However, a measurement system that is located away from the actuator produces a greater measurement error than a measurement system that is located adjacent to the actuator. Furthermore, in order to reduce this measurement error, a large apparatus technical cost is required.

  German Patent Application Publication No. 10059232, German Patent Application Publication No. 11993328, German Patent Application Publication No. 102010027031 and German Patent Application Publication No. 102007047298 use a sensor device. An apparatus and method for positioning an operating unit on a workpiece surface at predetermined intervals is described.

  The object of the present invention is to provide a device for surface treatment or surface processing comprising a structure for positioning an actuator, whereby the surface of the workpiece to be processed or processed is preliminarily determined in advance. The actuator is accurately positioned at the set interval. In particular, it is desired that this structure does not interfere with the surface treatment or surface processing process.

This problem is solved by an apparatus for surface treatment or surface processing according to claim 1 having the following characteristic configuration. That is, this device
An actuator for acting on the workpiece surface or for machining the workpiece surface;
At least one sonotrode having a sound emission surface and mechanically fixedly connected to the actuator, thereby constituting a work unit;
A movable positioning device connected to the work unit on the opposite side of the workpiece surface for positioning the work unit;
The positioning device has pressing means for pressing the work unit in the direction of the workpiece surface with a predetermined force. The pressing means is all technical means suitable for pressing the work unit against the surface of the workpiece with a predetermined pressing force. This pressing force is formed by a mechanical spring, by a controlled mechanical drive, a hydraulic or pneumatic drive, or by magnetic attraction or repulsion, by gravity caused by mass, or by vacuum be able to.

  Furthermore, the sonotrode acoustic emission surface is formed, and this causes an ultrasonic levitation force field to act under the condition that a gaseous medium exists between the workpiece surface and the acoustic emission surface. A reaction force opposite to the pressing force is formed by the ultrasonic levitation force field, whereby the work unit is lifted and held away from the surface of the workpiece.

  The actuator described above applies a liquid, paste-like, powdery or aerosol-like medium on the workpiece surface, or forms an electric field, magnetic field, electromagnetic field or plasma on the workpiece surface, thereby By changing the workpiece surface, or by creating an ultrasonic field that acts on the workpiece surface, or by placing mechanical means on the workpiece surface, It is formed to be removed from here.

  The advantage of this device is that the ultrasonic buoyancy field can be applied to solid, liquid or gaseous substances that are used during surface treatment or surface processing. It doesn't have much impact on matter. Thereby, the process of surface treatment or surface processing is not disturbed.

  According to claim 2, a plurality of process monitoring sensors are arranged in the work unit for process monitoring or process control. As a result, errors that occur in some cases during surface treatment or surface processing can be quickly identified and corrected. This is particularly advantageous when it is desired to process or process extremely long strips of material, for example sheet steel or plastic sheets that are subsequently wound up. A plurality of process monitoring sensors are arranged behind the working unit with respect to the movement of the strip material and are fixedly connected thereto. This allows these process monitoring sensors to be positioned exactly as well as the work unit itself, thus avoiding measurement errors that may be caused by variations in the distance from the workpiece surface or material surface.

  According to claim 3, the plurality of process monitoring sensors are optical sensors that supply an image signal of a workpiece surface to be processed or processed. These image signals are connected, for example, to an image identification system that can display even slight color deviations of the paint.

  According to claim 4, the plurality of process monitoring sensors are capacitive sensors, and the capacitive sensor detects a capacitance change caused by surface treatment or surface processing on a surface of a workpiece being processed or processed. It is supplied as an electrical measurement signal.

  According to claim 5, the plurality of process monitoring sensors are inductive sensors, and the inductive sensors detect an inductance change caused by surface treatment or surface processing on a surface of a workpiece being processed or processed. It is supplied as an electrical measurement signal.

  According to the sixth aspect, the plurality of process monitoring sensors are provided before and after the work unit in relation to the work movement. With this arrangement, the untreated or unprocessed workpiece surface can be compared with the treated or processed workpiece surface.

  According to claim 7, the plurality of process monitoring sensors are provided behind the working unit with respect to the work movement of the workpiece or material, and the second processing unit is provided behind these process monitoring sensors. Yes. With such an arrangement, for example, when it is confirmed that the result of the surface treatment or the surface processing by the first processing unit has to be corrected, re-correction becomes possible.

  According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the interval controller for controlling the interval between the workpiece surface and the work unit is provided. This is done by increasing or decreasing the acoustic energy.

1 is a schematic view of an apparatus for depositing oil. It is the schematic of the apparatus for depositing a powdery solid substance. 1 is a schematic view of an apparatus for etching a surface. 1 is a schematic view of an apparatus for curing a paint. 1 is a schematic view of an apparatus for depositing aerosol. FIG. It is the schematic of a welding apparatus. 1 is a schematic view of an apparatus for removing surface material. FIG. It is the schematic of a cleaning apparatus. 1 is a schematic view of an apparatus for laser plasma cutting. FIG.

  FIG. 1 schematically shows a device for spraying oil. A belt-like material to be sprayed, such as a metal plate, is guided by the driving roller 1. The work unit 3 includes a sonotrode block 4 and a spray nozzle 5a. The sonotrode block 4 forms an ultrasonic levitation force field between its lower surface and the surface 2 of the strip-shaped material. The work unit 3 is suspended from the movable suspension 6 and presses the band-shaped material by its own weight. That is, in this example, gravity is used as the pressing force. However, it is also possible to use mechanical springs or other means of the same action. Since the reaction force is formed by the ultrasonic levitation force field, the work unit 3 floats on the surface 2 of the band-shaped material at a predetermined interval. This interval can be adjusted very accurately by the sonotrode output and remains constant if the pressing force does not change. In this respect, the use of gravity is a simple, cost-effective and reliable option for creating a predetermined force with very little change. Therefore, the spray nozzle 5a always has a predetermined interval with respect to the surface 2 of the band-shaped material. Of particular note here is that the ultrasonic levitation field does not affect the spray action of the spray nozzle 5a.

  FIG. 2 schematically shows an apparatus for depositing an etchant. A thin etching film is formed by the two rollers 5b shown in the figure, and this is transferred to the surface 2 of the belt-like material. The sonotrode block 4 forms an ultrasonic levitation force field between its lower surface and the surface 2 of the strip-shaped material. The work unit 3 is suspended by a movable suspension 6 and presses the surface 2 of the belt-like material by its own weight. Since the reaction force is formed by the ultrasonic levitation force field, the work unit 3 floats on the surface 2 of the band-shaped material at a predetermined interval. This interval can be adjusted by the sonotrode output. Therefore, an extremely uniform etching action can be obtained. At the same time, the etching film is not damaged by the ultrasonic levitation force field acting in a non-contact manner. In other words, they are neither painted nor scraped.

  FIG. 3 schematically shows an apparatus for depositing powder. The sonotrode block 4 forms an ultrasonic levitation force field between its lower surface and the surface 2 of the strip-shaped material. The work unit 3 is suspended by a movable suspension 6 and presses the surface 2 of the belt-like material by its own weight. Since the reaction force is formed by the ultrasonic levitation force field, the work unit 3 floats on the surface 2 of the band-shaped material at a predetermined interval. This interval can be adjusted by the sonotrode output. In this embodiment, in the powder delivery means indicated by reference numeral 5c, the powder is homogenized by a small-chamber metering device equipped with a worm conveyor and a squeegee metering device, and the width of the band-shaped material is obtained. And is deposited on the surface 2 of the strip material with a uniform layer thickness. The constant distance between the roller and the surface 2 of the strip material facilitates this process. Of particular note here is that the ultrasonic levitation field does not significantly affect the powder layer that is not yet fixed.

  FIG. 4 schematically shows an apparatus for applying and curing a paint. In this embodiment, reference numeral 5d indicates an apparatus for applying and curing a paint. The sonotrode block 4 forms an ultrasonic levitation force field between its lower surface and the surface 2 of the strip-shaped material. The work unit 3 is suspended by a movable suspension 6 and presses the surface 2 of the belt-like material by its own weight. Since the reaction force is formed by the ultrasonic levitation force field, the work unit 3 floats on the surface 2 of the band-shaped material at a predetermined interval. This interval can be adjusted by the sonotrode output. This apparatus has a delivery head, by which a uniform paint layer is deposited on the substrate. A thermal radiator for curing the paint is disposed behind the moving direction.

  FIG. 5 schematically shows an apparatus for depositing aerosol. In this embodiment, reference numeral 5e indicates an apparatus for forming an aerosol. The working unit 3 is provided with a sonotrode block 4 and a device 5e for forming an aerosol and delivering the aerosol. The sonotrode block 4 forms an ultrasonic levitation force field between its lower surface and the surface 2 of the strip-shaped material. The work unit 3 is suspended by a movable suspension 6 and presses the surface 2 of the belt-like material by its own weight. Since the reaction force is formed by the ultrasonic levitation force field, the work unit 3 floats on the surface 2 of the band-shaped material at a predetermined interval. This interval can be adjusted by the sonotrode output. This ultrasonic field does not have a significant effect on aerosol dispersion.

  FIG. 6 schematically shows a welding apparatus. In this embodiment, the welding operation unit is indicated by reference numeral 5f. The sonotrode block 4 forms an ultrasonic levitation force field between its lower surface and the surface 2 of the strip-shaped material. The work unit 3 having the sonotrode block and the welding work unit 5f is suspended from the movable suspension 6, and presses the surface 2 of the belt-like material by its own weight. Since the reaction force is formed by the ultrasonic levitation force field, the work unit 3 floats on the surface 2 of the band-shaped material at a predetermined interval. This interval can be adjusted by the sonotrode output.

  FIG. 7 schematically shows an apparatus for removing surface material. In this embodiment, reference numeral 5g indicates a working unit for removing the surface material. The work unit 3 includes a sonotrode block 4 and a work unit for removing surface material by mechanical removal means. The sonotrode block 4 forms an ultrasonic levitation force field between its lower surface and the surface 2 of the strip-shaped material. The work unit 3 is suspended by a movable suspension 6 and presses the surface 2 of the belt-like material by its own weight. Since the reaction force is formed by the ultrasonic levitation force field, the work unit 3 floats on the surface 2 of the band-shaped material at a predetermined interval. This interval can be adjusted by the sonotrode output. The surface is scraped off by means of an action having a rough surface, for example sandpaper. It is also possible to use a slicer device having a plurality of rotating knives. Due to the very small change in the height of these rotating knives, the precisely adjustable material layer can be removed uniformly.

  FIG. 8 schematically shows the cleaning device. In this example, reference numeral 5h indicates a working unit for delivering the cleaning agent. The work unit 3 includes a sonotrode block 4 and a cleaning device. The sonotrode block 4 forms an ultrasonic levitation force field between its lower surface and the surface 2 of the strip-shaped material. The work unit 3 is suspended by a movable suspension 6 and presses the surface 2 of the belt-like material by its own weight. Since a reaction force is formed by this ultrasonic levitation force field, the work unit 3 floats on the surface 2 of the belt-shaped material at a predetermined interval. This interval can be adjusted by the sonotrode output. The arrangement of the working rollers for different stages of cleaning and the arrangement of the rollers for removing the used cleaning agent can be arbitrarily configured. These rollers can rotate in different directions.

  FIG. 9 schematically shows an apparatus for laser plasma cutting. The cutter head of the laser / plasma working unit moves in the box indicated by reference numeral 5i. The sonotrode block 4 forms an ultrasonic levitation force field between its lower surface and the surface 2 of the strip-shaped material. The work unit 3 is suspended by a movable suspension 6 and presses the surface 2 of the belt-like material by its own weight. Since the reaction force is formed by the ultrasonic levitation force field, the work unit 3 floats on the surface 2 of the band-shaped material at a predetermined interval. This uniform and defined spacing provides a high quality cut. The surface quality after cutting is not impaired by the uncut portion. Because this system floats on the belt without contact.

  FIGS. 1-9 merely illustrate that a variety of different devices for surface treatment or surface processing can be made in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. In the above example, the material to be processed is guided past the working unit. Obviously, according to the same basic principle, this work unit can also be guided on the surface of a workpiece with a large area. What can be basically confirmed here is that the ultrasonic levitation force field does not have a significant impact on the work process in any of the nine different application cases.

Claims (8)

In an apparatus for surface treatment or surface processing,
The device has the following features:
An actuator (5a-5i) for acting on the workpiece surface (2) or for machining the workpiece surface (2);
At least one sonotrode (4) having a sound emission surface and mechanically fixedly connected to the actuators (5a-5i), thereby constituting a working unit (3);
A movable positioning device (6) connected to the work unit (3) on the side opposite to the workpiece surface (2) for positioning the work unit (3);
The positioning device (6) has a pressing means or uses the gravity to move the work unit (3) suspended movably with a predetermined pressing force (F). Press against the surface (2)
The acoustic emission surface of the sonotrode (4) is ultrasonically vibrated, so that there is a gaseous medium between the workpiece surface (2) and the acoustic emission surface of the sonotrode (4) The ultrasonic levitation force field acts under the condition that the buoyancy force is applied, and the ultrasonic levitation force field forms a reaction force opposite to the pressing force (F), whereby the work unit (3) Lifted and held away from the workpiece surface (2),
The actuators (5a-5i)
• A liquid, paste, powder or aerosol medium is deposited on the workpiece surface (2), or • An electric field, magnetic field, electromagnetic field or plasma is formed on the workpiece surface (2). Thereby changing the workpiece surface (2), or
To form an ultrasonic field for changing the workpiece surface (2), or
Configured to act on the workpiece surface (2) using mechanical working means for removing material;
A device for surface treatment or surface processing, characterized in that A plurality of process monitoring sensors are arranged in the work unit (3) for process monitoring or for process control,
The apparatus for surface treatment or surface processing according to claim 1. The plurality of process monitoring sensors are optical sensors that supply image signals of the workpiece surface (2) being processed or processed,
The apparatus for surface treatment or surface processing according to claim 2. The plurality of process monitoring sensors are capacitive sensors, and the capacitive sensors are configured to electrically detect capacitance changes caused by the surface treatment or surface processing of the workpiece surface (2) being processed or processed. Supply as measurement signal,
The apparatus for surface treatment or surface processing according to claim 2. The plurality of process monitoring sensors are inductive sensors, and the inductive sensors electrically detect inductance changes caused by the surface treatment or surface processing of the workpiece surface (2) being processed or processed. Supply as measurement signal,
The apparatus for surface treatment or surface processing according to claim 2. The plurality of process monitoring sensors are provided before and after the work unit (3) with respect to work movement,
The apparatus for surface treatment or surface processing according to claim 2. The plurality of process monitoring sensors are provided behind the work unit (3) with respect to work movement, and a second processing unit is provided behind the plurality of process monitoring sensors.
The apparatus for surface treatment or surface processing according to claim 2. An interval control unit is provided for controlling an interval between the workpiece surface (2) and the work unit (3);
The spacing varies with changes in acoustic energy,
The apparatus for surface treatment or surface processing according to claim 1.

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